Through Thick And Thin
by HeavenSkye
Summary: Jane and Lisbon have been married for a little over a year when the Pilot takes place. How does it all change when the two are husband and wife? Will things play out the same? Or will events be different? J/L or Jisbon, obviously.
1. Pilot

**(A/N): I got this idea from a wonderful fic of boutondor's, called Amalgamation, which was basically the same plot line as this fic. What if Jane and Lisbon were married before the show started? Of course, mine is different to the other fic, but I just loved the idea of the two always being married, and no-one but them know about it. Still, let me know what you think, and I will try to have the next one up as soon as I have the time. Sometime next week is most likely. This is the pilot episode (obviously), and much of the dialogue and such have been borrowed from that. Just so you know **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the mentalist, no matter how much I wish I did. I have just borrowed some of it for my own amusement.**

**See you all soon (hopefully),**

**HeavenSkye x**

**Through Thick and Thin.**

**Chapter 1.**

**Pilot. (1x01).**

Patrick Jane walked up to the Tolliver house behind Teresa Lisbon, watching everything around him. However, his eyes would occasionally flicker towards the petite woman in front of him. He almost smiled. Almost. Just watching her perfected walk that was designed to make her look heavier than the 120 pounds he knew she actually weighed made him want to smile. He knew he couldn't though. Not just yet anyway. Lisbon would consider killing him if he did. And there was no way he was going to get on the bad side of his wife.

Yeah, his wife. He'd joined the CBI a little less than a year after the deaths of his first wife, Angela, and their daughter, Charlotte. Then he'd been placed under Agent Lisbon's watchful eye. Somewhere along the way he'd tricked her into dating him, and they'd fallen in love. It might sound romantic to some, but both Jane and Lisbon knew there was nothing romantic about them, not really anyway. They'd gotten married around three years after he started working with her, but agreed to keep it a secret, for fear of Red John finding out, and for the judgement they knew they would receive from everyone else.

He followed Lisbon up the driveway, ignoring the reporters, or as he called them, vultures, subconsciously playing with his wedding band. It wasn't the one Angela had given him. That ring was on a long chain around Lisbon's neck along with her wedding band, one that hung far lower than her cross did, so unless someone deliberately looked down her top, it would remain hidden from the world.

He stopped by a police captain, just as Lisbon shot him a discreet glance before resuming her professional stance.

"Captain." She greeted, causing the captain to turn round.

"Agent Lisbon." He returned. Clearly he didn't want her presence, but respected her too much to tell her that he wanted her gone. Jane rolled his eyes, tuning out the conversation as he saw a teenage boy being bundled into the back of a police cruiser. The local police obviously like him for the murder of Mercy Tolliver, but Jane knew it wasn't him. The poor kid looked like he was about to wet himself. There was no way he'd have the nerve to even talk to Mercy, let alone get close enough to kill her, and especially not in the gruesome way that had been described to them over the phone.

He turned his attention to a raised platform erected on the front lawn as a man announced, "Mercy's father would like to give a brief statement."

Mercy's father was a tall, well-built, dark haired man in his early forties. By all appearances, a good man. However, Jane could see a little facial tick that betrayed deep anger, and a violent streak. The man kept hold of his wife hand throughout his statement, even when she tried to move away. Jane frowned almost imperceptibly. He would never treat his wife like that. If Lisbon didn't want him near her, he knew better than to go after her. It would most likely end in him getting hurt and Lisbon angrier than before. He glanced at Mercy's mother's face before it dawned on him. Of course, that was what had happened.

He turned away and walked into the house. He'd seen enough out there.

…

Jane looked up as Mercy's mother, Juniper Tolliver, walked into the room, nervously twisting a handkerchief in her hands. She stopped short as soon as she saw him. He settled for a soothing tone, trying not to frighten her any more than she was already.

"Hello, Mrs Tolliver."

"Who are you?"

"My name's Patrick Jane. I'm here to help you. Would you like a cup of tea?"

…

Lisbon's head shot towards the house as gunshots went off. Her eyes widened in panic. Jane was in there. She rushed in through the back door of the Tolliver home, gun drawn and raised, only to find Jane and Mrs Tolliver stood up, their backs to her. Mr Tolliver was dead on the floor, the smoking gun in Mrs Tolliver's shaking hand. As officers swarmed the house, Jane's hand rose instinctively, whilst Mrs Tolliver continued to stare at the body of her husband. Jane turned his head to stare at his wife.

"Honestly, it's not as bad as it looks." He reassured her. Lisbon dropped her weapon back down to her side, irritation clearly shown on her face as she holstered her gun. Shooting Jane a look that clearly stated that he would pay for this later, she followed Mrs Tolliver outside, calling after her as she did.

Jane's eyes followed her out as she did.

…

Jane got in later than Lisbon that night, after being chewed out by Minelli for a good two hours on why what he did was wrong, and being told he was on suspension for two weeks. He wasn't really surprised that Lisbon hadn't waited for him, if he was being honest with himself. His wife hated the thought of death, even if the person was truly heinous. It was the one point they'd ever really disagreed on, and they never liked dwelling on it too much.

He slowly undressed, before lowering himself carefully into the bed beside his wife. Lisbon turned, curling into his side as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head gently.

"I'm still mad at you." She told him sleepily. Jane smiled into her hair. He hadn't expected anything else.

"But I'm glad you're alive," She added on after a moment, before snuggling into his shoulder and drifting back off to sleep.

…

A week later had Lisbon and her team, minus Jane, were walking through Palm Springs International Airport. She hated out of town cases, mainly due to the lack of a certain pain-in-the-ass consultant, not that she'd ever tell him that. She loved him, as much as it hurt sometimes, and she missed him when he wasn't around. But, she was also frequently annoyed by him, and really wanted him to realise just how much it irritated her. Still, she'd had an _enjoyable_ early morning wake up, which now only fuelled her bad mood even more. She didn't want to be there, and the consultant that would probably have the case wrapped up within the day was on suspension, plus the newbie of the team, Grace Van Pelt, had only just started, and was still learning the ropes. All in all, not a good day.

"Sorry."

Lisbon turned to see Van Pelt looking extremely apologetic. She found the urge to scream. Was the universe against her today? Instead, she focused on the conversation.

"You checked luggage?" Lisbon checked, sighing a little when Van Pelt's cheeks darkened a little in embarrassment. "What are you, on vacation?" She asked sarcastically, her irritation getting the better of her.

"No ma'am. I won't do it again." Van Pelt looked scared, and Lisbon knew that if Jane was there, he'd be snickering into his hand at them.

"When your trousseau arrives, pick up the second rental and go to the sheriff's department. Hustle us up a couple of rooms, furniture and phone lines." Lisbon ordered. She felt a little bad at what she'd assigned Van Pelt to do, but it was the rookie's work anyway. She'd put Rigsby through it before Van Pelt. She knew that the other two agents were exchanging glances behind her, probably wondering why she was being a little shorter than usual, but also being smart enough not to say anything about it.

"Yes ma'am." Van Pelt replied instantly, eager to get back into her boss' good books. Lisbon turned round, glancing at Agents Cho and Rigsby.

"Come on." She told the other two, marching in between them as they instinctively moved out of her way. Today was going to be long day, she could feel it.

…

"Which one of you jackasses told him? It was you, wasn't it, Cho?" Lisbon bit out harshly, trying to ignore Jane's presence as much as possible as she berated her second-in-command.

"Yes it was." Cho replied, deadpan as always. Sometimes, Lisbon honestly wondered why she yelled at Cho. It never made a difference.

"Of course he called me. It's Red John. Can't keep me out of this. Why would you want to?" Jane asked, sounding hurt. Lisbon just rolled her eyes as she kept walking. One day, she'd end up killing her husband in his sleep. She didn't think anyone would blame her for it either.

…

"Red John's mine." Jane told her, eyes dark and tone level. Lisbon fought the urge to shiver, instead focusing on the anger she felt at that statement. Most men would state that about their wives, but no, she ended up with the one man that would choose a serial killer over her.

"Red John doesn't belong to anyone." She retorted, trying to make him see reason. Jane glanced at Cho and Rigsby, who immediately caught the message and walked into the building to get away from what they considered 'mommy and daddy fighting time'.

"He belongs to me." Jane stated again, his eyes almost pleading with her. Lisbon sighed. She hated when he did that, mainly because it made it all the harder not to let him in, to say yes.

"It's not my call. Rules are rules. Come back next week." She told him, moving for the door. After quickly checking for Rigsby and Cho, he grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the door, moving to the side where they couldn't be seen. He grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him, pushing his lips against her. Moaning, she kissed him back, her warm, wet tongue sneaking into his mouth.

After a few moments, he pulled back, panting a little. The things that little minx could do to his normally iron clad self control was almost unbelievable.

"Are you sure?" He whispered huskily into her ear. Lisbon shivered, but extricated herself from her husband's hold.

"I'm sure."

…

Later that day, as they both left Dr Wagner's office, Lisbon felt drained, tired of it all. Jane had fought his way onto the case, only to declare that it wasn't Red John. So he'd left, and then randomly come back, for reasons she still wasn't sure of. Now he was trying to get sleeping pills from the doctor without a consultation. She rolled her eyes. She'd bet anything that he'd left the sleeping pills on the bedside cabinet yet again. He'd do it on around 90 per cent of the out of town cases they worked, and then Lisbon herself was usually the one to stay up with him, which resulted in not enough sleep for either of them, and a grumpy mood for her the following day.

She waited for him to catch her up after the doctor refused to prescribe him anything without a consultation. He caught the end of the little grin she had on her face and met it with one of his own.

"Yes, I left mine at home again." He told her. Her small grin morphed into a slightly larger smile.

"I knew it." She told him. "That's one cup of coffee and two bear claws you owe me now."

"One coffee, one bear claw, and pancakes the first morning we're back home." He bargained. Lisbon pretended to think about it, but he knew she'd accept. She loved the pancakes he made.

"Fine." Lisbon agreed, mock sighing as she did. "I suppose I can agree with that."

Jane pinched her waist, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to make her jump and turn to glare at him. He grinned before grabbing her hand and pulling her to the car with him. Their marriage might be different to other peoples, but he loved her, and she loved him, and that was all that mattered.

…

"That was mean, you know."

Jane grinned as he saw Lisbon lay on his bed in her work clothes, flicking through the tv channels. He toed off his shoes before jumped next to her, and pulled her into his side as she settled on a movie.

"What was, my dear?"

"Goading Van Pelt at dinner. It was mean. The poor girl is entitled to her opinions."

"Not when they're wrong, Teresa." He stated matter-of-factly. He then reached down her shirt, ignoring when she tried to bat his hand away, and pulled out the long chain with the rings on. "Put it on." He told her. Lisbon rolled her eyes but pulled the chain over her head before unclasping it and removing her wedding band. She put the simple gold ring on her ring finger before re-clasping the chain with his old wedding ring still on it, and placing it back round her neck. Jane then kissed her left hand before rolling so she was lay under him.

"Patrick." She warned him. "You know I can't leave too late. The team'll get suspicious. Oh, and speaking of team, Van Pelt has her opinions, and you were being mean to her."

Jane leant down to kiss her neck. "Mmm. Teresa, I'll lay off the new girl okay? Just stop talking."

…

Much later, after Lisbon had gone back to her room, trying to straighten her clothes as she did, Jane lay on the bed, watching nature programs. He watched them whenever he couldn't sleep and wanted his wife to get some rest. It sucked, being an insomniac.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of paper being pushed beneath the door. It wouldn't be a note from Lisbon, because if he had the time right, she'd most likely be asleep, probably still fully dressed too.

Sighing, he got up, leaving the tv remote on the bed as he moved to the door and picked up the note, unfolding it and reading it, mainly out of curiosity.

As soon as he saw the red smiley face leering back at him, he dropped the note and wrenched the door open. Spotting a hooded figure running for the emergency stairs, he raced after him, down several flights of stairs, not even stopping when he slipped on some of them and fell into the wall. He had to catch whoever had left the note for him.

He burst out of the emergency exit into the cool night, but there was no-one to be seen. Damn it, he'd gotten away.

…

The team congregated in Jane's room. If the situation wasn't so serious, Jane thought he might laugh. Cho was wearing baby blue pyjamas, whilst Rigsby and Van Pelt wore jogging bottoms and t-shirts. Van Pelt had a jacket over the top of her shirt. Lisbon was still in her work clothes, so he'd been right; she had fallen asleep in them. If he looked carefully enough, he could still see the creases in her slacks from where they'd been crumpled on the floor a few hours earlier. Luckily for their secret however, she'd put her wedding ring back on the chain, and the chain was tucked under her clothing once more.

Jane waited carefully until everyone other than Lisbon had left the room. Lisbon paused before him, her face worried. "You okay?"

"Absolutely." He attempted to reassure her, but she didn't look convinced. "It wasn't Red John." He told her again.

She nodded. "I know. I believe you." She moved a little closer where she wouldn't be seen from the door before leaning down and giving him a peck on the lips.

"Get some sleep." She told him, moving back. He nodded slightly, before she moved away, out of his hotel room. Jane waited barely a minute before buttoning up his vest and going on a hunt for his jacket. He had a case to solve, after all.

…

Lisbon walked into the office the next morning only to sigh in irritation as she saw her husband hunched over the desk, drinking a highly caffeinated sugary drink. He'd obviously been there a while, as was evident when he shot up with a "Good morning." even though he looked like hell.

"You didn't sleep, did you?" She asked, annoyed. His only response was to slurp his drink. Evidently, he knew he couldn't get away with lying to her this time. She rounded the desk to bring herself closer to him, yanking her phone out of her pocket as she did. Gritting her teeth, she made the call to Dr Wagner's office. If he was too much of a baby to do it himself, she'd do it for him. He needed sleep.

…

At the end of the case, he bought some closed case doughnuts. He figured it couldn't hurt. However, he couldn't keep his eyes from Lisbon, even though she glared at him from where she sat, filling out paperwork. He knew he had to make it up to her.

Cho threw a paper frog that Jane had made sometime early that morning at him, though Jane caught it easily. He glanced down at the paper frog, then back up at Lisbon. He fiddled with the origami animal as he approached her, much as one would do with an angry bear.

"Don't even start, I'm still angry." She warned him, though he could see more than a little hurt mixed in there too.

"I'm sorry." He tried. He didn't really mean it, but hey, if it made her feel better…

"No, you're not." Lisbon responded softly, trying not to gain any more attention by yelling at him.

Figuring more talk would be useless, Jane placed the frog down at the front of her desk, facing her. He gave it about five seconds after he began to walk away.

Lisbon stared down at the little paper frog in disbelief. "A frog? Well, this makes everything better, doesn't it?"

Suddenly, the frog leapt up, eliciting a surprised gasp from her. Almost involuntarily, she smiled, causing Jane to smile from behind her. Her husband might be irritating and annoying, but he could also be sweet. When she was sure he was gone, she pocketed the frog. He didn't have to know that she was going to keep it, after all.

…

Later that evening, Lisbon came home only to find Jane stood in the kitchen, a frilly pink spotted apron she'd bought him for a laugh tied round his waist. He greeted her with a soft smile before pouring the sauce he had been stirring over two plates of pasta. He put the two bowls down on the kitchen table before pulling her in for a kiss.

"I am sorry, Teresa." He murmured against her lips.

"I know Patrick, but I worry. You know that."

"I know. So do I." He moved away slightly before propelling her into a seat, taking her jacket from her, but allowing her to take her gun holster off herself. He couldn't stand guns and she knew it. Putting the gun far away from the table, they both sat back down opposite each other and began eating.

Jane suddenly looked up, taking note of Lisbon's tired expression and slumped shoulders, the dark rings under her eyes a mixture of sleep loss and stress.

"We should have a vacation." He announced softly. Lisbon looked up, startled.

"Why?"

"Why not?" Jane countered easily. "Am I not allowed to want to spend time with my beautiful wife?"

"Patrick…"

Jane got up, moving round the table to where Lisbon sat. He stroked her cheek before pressing a chaste kiss to her lips. "Not now, sweetheart. Soon though, I promise."

**TBC…**


	2. Red Hair and Silver Tape

**(A/N): Thank you all so much for the reviews, follows, and favourites! You guys really make me happy! Okay, so, the responses to the reviews!**

**Lili87: **I'm glad you like it! It means so much to me that you want to read more of it! Thank you!

**Bruna Fights Back: **Yay! Thank you! And I'll do my best!

**Jane-i-need-you: **Thank you!

**MissDonnie: **So do I! At least then we wouldn't have to worry about getting Jisbon! We'd already have it! Thanks for reviewing!

**HeavenJu: **Yay! I'm so happy you like it! And yep, I updated, or there wouldn't be another chapter hehe!

**LouiseKurylo: **Thank you. Most of it is taken from the episodes themselves, and I just add bits on and edit bits to fit with them being married too. Honestly, I think they'd probably act like this forever, even if they did eventually get married in the show. Still, thank you for reviewing :)

**Okay, so, I have a question. Should I do every episode, or just key ones like the Red John ones? Only, originally, I was leaning towards every episode, but I'm not sure. Please let me know. Also, mild warnings about language and stuff, but really, still well below the boundary of a T rating.**

**Disclaimer: Do I have to write this? It makes me sad. I do? Aww. Fine. I do not own the mentalist. See? You made me cry now.**

**See you guys soon (hopefully),**

**HeavenSkye x**

**Through Thick and Thin.**

**Chapter 2.**

**Red Hair and Silver Tape. (1x02).**

It was funny, Jane mused, the amount of times he always ended up walking behind his wife. They were in Northern Napa County, walking along a dusty road, Lisbon and Cho walking beside each other, with Jane trailing along behind them, though his eyes flicked between his surroundings and Lisbon. It had been just over a week since the imitation Red John case, and he hadn't said a word about their supposed vacation since the night they'd come home. True to his word, he'd made Lisbon pancakes that first morning, and bought her the coffee and bear claw she'd wanted, but he'd stayed stubbornly silent on the topic of the vacation.

Lisbon walked up to the sheriff, Sheriff McAllister if she'd heard him correctly on the phone. He looked to be a little older than Jane, with a grey moustache and a piercing expression. He seemed a little too relaxed though, considering where they were. He led them over to a trench by the side of the road, showing them a bound young woman with red hair. If it wasn't for the fact she was dead, she'd most likely be described as beautiful. Unfortunately, there was nothing beautiful about death. It was usually brutal, and most likely gruesome as well.

Lisbon climbed into the trench, Cho close on her heels as they deduced that the cause of death must be suffocation. Lisbon could feel Jane's eyes on her back, and maybe even a little lower, but she ignored it. To everyone else, he probably looked like he was focused on the dead girl anyway.

Jane stood at the top of the trench, keeping one ear open to the sheriff's commentary, and his eyes focused on the inside of the trench. Around thirty per cent of his attention went to the poor dead girl, and the other seventy stayed on Lisbon. He knew she could tell that he was watching her, but he had gotten his position just right so that no-one but his wife would know who he was really watching.

He almost rolled his eyes when the sheriff mentioned meth addicts killing the victim, and knew he had to pipe up. "No. It was a local." He told them all, before glancing at the body again. "And it was an accident. Her killer didn't intend her to die this way." He added after a moment.

Lisbon then looked up from where she hovered over the body, squinting a little in the sunlight. Jane wished he'd remembered the sunglasses, so she didn't have to hurt her eyes like that. "How so?" She asked, though it was more for others benefit than herself. She'd already gotten that far in her own internal assessment.

"She still has her clothes on. Her abductor was taking her to a location that was quiet and private so he could undress her for a sexual assault. She made too much noise at the wrong moment, he tried to keep her quiet and smothered her by mistake." Jane told them all in a low, serious voice. He spotted the hint of a smile in the corner of Lisbon's mouth. He knew she found his observations a little amusing, especially when the sheriff looked as unreceptive to it as this one did. Jane carried on his observations, knowing they'd get out of that dusty place soon. As soon as he was finished, Lisbon stood up, thanking the coroner for waiting, before climbing out of the trench, Cho behind her once more.

…

Lisbon and Cho watched in amusement as Jane and Sheriff McAllister played rock-paper-scissors time after time, Jane winning each round. The Sheriff looked increasingly agitated with each lost round. Cho turned to her quietly.

"It's always fun when it isn't one of us." He muttered under his breath. Lisbon bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"That it is."

…

Lisbon found Jane sat with the owners of the Shand Creek Winery and Restaurant, eating something. She rolled her eyes. Jane was always eating. She'd lost count of the amount of times she'd caught her husband eating in the kitchens of victims or suspects. However, he was a brilliant cook when at home. She didn't put weight on very easily with the amount of exercise she did and her metabolism, but Jane seemed determined to change that.

She sat down beside him and pulled out her notebook, ignoring the slight noises Jane made in appreciation of his meal as she focused on the two owners, jotting down anything that might seem even the slightest bit relevant. She nearly slapped Jane when his only comment was on the amount of butter put into the meal. He didn't stop eating even then though. Lisbon wondered if anything would put him off his food before inwardly grinning. The answer was that there most likely wasn't anything that would.

…

"Nice. You caused a man to faint." Lisbon bit out sarcastically as she pulled Jane outside the restaurant. Cho was inside helping the man regain consciousness before putting him in handcuffs.

"Meh, it's not like he killed Melanie." Jane waved it off as they rounded the side of the restaurant until they were completely secluded from anyone else.

"Oh, he didn't?" Lisbon asked, only for Jane to envelope her in a hug. She hugged him back, a little confused. "Uh, Jane?"

"Patrick." Jane corrected her, nuzzling her hair. Lisbon took a deep breath, trying to focus. Which was difficult, considering her husband seemed to be determined to distract her.

"We're at work, Patrick Jane. We can't do this here." She managed with a great amount of strength, considering Jane's lips were now on the pulse point in her neck. He pulled back with a groan.

"You are way too stubborn sometimes, Teresa Jane." He murmured into her ear before pulling back and sorting her hair out so it looked exactly as it did before. He'd mussed it a little when he was nuzzling it.

"You love it really." She couldn't help but tease him. He grinned as they rounded the corner back towards the car.

"Of course, my dear, of course."

…

"Randall tried to kiss Melanie because he thought it was on his account that she didn't leave." Lisbon stated as she wrote Randall's name on the timeline for Melanie's murder. Jane stood beside the chalkboard, a paper cup of tea in his hand. It wasn't up to his usual standards, but that was to be expected in a police station. Police were far too fond of their coffee, including Lisbon. He'd never take her coffee away from her though, especially not in the morning.

He had actually tried it once, a couple of months after they were married. He threw out all the coffee in the house and stocked up on several varieties of tea in order to try and reduce her caffeine consumption. There was only one thing he hadn't taken into account.

Morning Lisbon.

When she'd stumbled blearily into the kitchen and couldn't find her morning coffee to wake her up, she'd been in such a bad mood for the rest of the day that Jane ended up genuinely fearing for his life. He bought a lot of coffee on his way back home that night to restock the kitchen with. Needless to say, he never tried it again.

"When in fact, she didn't leave because of Randall-" Jane contributed, only for Lisbon to interrupt with a smile.

"She was meeting somebody else." Lisbon finished as she completed her notes on the chalkboard and set the chalk down in the tray along the bottom. The musty old thing reminded her far too much of high school, and that wasn't something she liked to remember. She'd hated high school so much.

"Are we gonna see Raquel again?" Jane's question broke into her thoughts. Belatedly, she wondered why he was curious about something as mundane as a follow up interview, but didn't ask about it.

"She's on her way in now." She informed him, before wiping her chalky hands on her slacks. Jane rolled his eyes. Lisbon hated it when he got mud on his pants or shirt, yet she was quite willing to get chalk on hers and not even blink. He produced his handkerchief from his pocket, handing it to his wife.

"Wipe your hands on it." He told her in a low voice. Lisbon glared halfheartedly at him, but did as he asked.

She handed it back to him, pouting. "You only made me do that because it's your week to do the washing." She told him, watching as his eyes flickered towards her mouth and his pupils dilated.

"Woman, do not pout at me like that." He warned her, his voice deep and husky. Lisbon opened her mouth to respond, only for her phone to go off. Van Pelt. She didn't know if she wanted to shoot or hug the young rookie. She'd settle for just listening to what the redheaded agent had to say instead. She almost groaned as Jane immediately moved closer to her. Why did he have to do this now?

…

After the interview with Raquel Garcia, Lisbon was fuming. Raquel had given up Hector far too easily. It stank of Jane's manipulation. Walking out of the room, followed by Cho and Jane, she turned to face them, a look of mock confusion on her face. Seeing the look of pretend innocence on her husband's face just confirmed that he had had something to do with it. And she was fairly certain what he'd done too.

"That was funny. The way she gave him up so easily like that?" Lisbon said lightly, but staring intently at Jane as she did.

"Yeah it was." Jane agreed, causing her stare to instantly transform into a glare. "But you were right, huh? Secret lover. Guess I was wrong about the whole red-hair-and-duct-tape thing."

That sealed it in Lisbon's mind. Jane never ever admitted that he was wrong, and also never admitted that anyone else was right unless he had to. Jane began to walk off as quickly as he could, only to be stopped by Lisbon's exasperated voice.

"You hypnotised her, didn't you?"

He span back round to face her. "I certainly did not." He denied, but knew from one look into Lisbon's disbelieving face that he was screwed. "Okay, no. Yes, I did hypnotise her, but-" He attempted to minimise it, but Lisbon interrupted, her glare directly pointed at him.

"But nothing. It's unprofessional and it's illegal. It's totally out of bounds." Lisbon told him. She'd told him far too many times about hypnotism, and he'd never listened. Okay, so usually there wasn't a whole lot he'd hypnotise out of people, but it was all inadmissible in court, and Lisbon hated to see guilty people set free due to a technicality like that.

"That's what I told him." Cho said from his place a step behind Lisbon. Jane turned an accusing finger onto Cho. The man had ratted him out to his wife! That was so unfair! Still, two could play at that game.

"I was gonna say you had nothing to do with it, but hey." He said, watching as Cho's face tightened ever so slightly, and Lisbon looked more pissed than before.

Jane walked away just as Lisbon's arm shot out, grabbing the front of Cho's suit and pulling him round to face her. Cho almost smiled. For such a tiny woman, she was extremely strong.

"You allow him to pull that stuff again and you'll be showing visitors around the statehouse in a stupid hat." Lisbon told him, annoyed. Cho nodded. It was more than fair. If it was any other team leader, his ass would be in a car on the way back to Sacramento, and he'd be on desk duty for the next two weeks. All in all, what she'd threatened him with was a whole lot better.

"Yes, ma'am. Understood." Cho told her before walking off. Lisbon sighed as she pulled out her phone. Sometimes she felt more of an exhausted mother than a CBI senior agent.

…

"Oprah and Dr Phil here." Hector said with a smirk. Jane grinned in response, though Lisbon's facial expression didn't change. "I told her this is how it was going to end. Only it was going to be me that died and her sitting here with dumb cops asking dumb questions. 'Why was a respectable girl like you with a thug like Hector Romerez?'"

"Why was she?" Lisbon asked carefully. He shoulder and thigh still hurt from where she'd slammed into him and hit the road. She really didn't want to have to fight anyone for a good couple of hours at least.

Hector stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Sure she would." Jane butted in, still leant casually on the Xerox machine. "All women understand the charm of a violent man." Lisbon turned her head slightly to look at him in confusion. What was he doing? She'd never understood the charm of a violent man in her life! After her dad, if any man was violent towards her, she left them in no uncertain terms that she wouldn't tolerate that kind of crap from them.

"What we had was special." Hector informed Jane quietly.

"You made her feel like a captured princess instead of a small-town choir nerd. And she made you feel like a dashing pirate instead of what you are. A sort of a bad-tempered pharmacist." Jane responded, not being able to help the last sentence spilling from his lips.

"Funny man." Hector returned almost instantly, before continuing in his opinion of Melanie.

…

"A captured princess? Really?" Lisbon asked as soon as they had finished the interview and were walking back to their temporary office. Jane grinned.

"Fitting, don't you think?"

"Not really. And what was all that crap about me understanding the charm of a violent man?" Lisbon queried. The smile fell from Jane's face as he quickly glanced round before pulling her with him into a supply closet. "Jane?" Lisbon asked. "What are you doing?"

Jane stroked her cheek gently. "A better man."

"What?" Lisbon asked, utterly confused. Jane sighed, placing his forehead against Lisbon's and dragging the chain out from under her shirt.

"Teresa, you made me a better man from the moment you said 'I do' and I put this ring on your finger. You make me feel like a better man, and in turn, I still don't have a clue what I make you feel like."

"A princess." Lisbon whispered, leaning up to press a quick kiss to his lips. "Not a captured one by any means, but a princess none the less." She moved away, sliding the chain with the rings on back down her shirt so it was hidden once more. "However, you breathe a word of what I've just said to anyone, and I will kill you and make it look completely accidental."

"Got it." Jane murmured in response, before sticking his head out of the door to make sure it was clear, before allowing Lisbon to lead the way back to the temporary office, bickering about whether or not Hector was guilty.

Lisbon perched on the end of the desk, with Jane stood beside her as she looked up to continue the argument. "If it wasn't him, then who was it?" She asked. "And if you say 'a man who likes red hair and silver duct tape', I'll scream."

"I don't want you to scream." Jane told her, before moving in a little closer. "Not yet, anyway."

Lisbon shivered, but carried on the conversation as best she could. Sometimes, she really wanted to kill her husband for doing things like that at work.

…

"Hi. I made a booking for two for this afternoon." Jane said into the phone, whilst never taking his eyes from his wife's. "Could you put us on the terrace? It's more romantic. Yeah, Patrick. Lovely. See you then." He flipped his phone shut, putting it back into his suit pocket before facing Lisbon again. She was watching him, eyes wide and dark, mouth open. Seriously, how could any man resist that?

"Don't fret." He told her, teasingly. "I wouldn't seduce you over a meal. That would be very sophomoric"

"I didn't think you were trying to seduce me." Lisbon said, attempting to sound like the strong senior agent she was, and failing miserably. Jane's grin widened.

"Come on. How could that thought not have entered your head?"

Lisbon remained silent, but she was biting her lip.

"Your denial that it did intrigues me." Jane stated as he walked past. Suddenly, he heard Lisbon respond.

"Bite me."

He waited until she'd caught up with him before speaking. "Where?"

"Where what?" Lisbon asked.

"Where would you like me to bite you?" Jane asked with a devilish grin. Lisbon bit her lip again. How could any woman resist Patrick Jane when he looked like that? And yet, he'd chosen her. Even after over a year of marriage, that part still baffled her. He could have his pick of any straight woman in the world, and even a few gay ones, and he picked her. Suddenly, she started laughing. Jane turned to look at her, frowning a little.

"Lisbon?" He asked.

"You're sophomoric." Lisbon choked out as a fresh bout of giggles overtook her.

"What?" He asked, her giggles making him amused as well.

"Our first date. You did seduce me over a meal. We went to that fancy restaurant, remember?" Lisbon managed to say as the giggles subsided. "You, Patrick Jane, are extremely sophomoric." She told him as she walked up to the car.

"Bite me." Jane called out in retaliation, lacking a proper argument as he slid into the passenger seat.

…

Jane opened the room to the motel room, allowing Lisbon in first. She gave him a suspicious look, but walked in all the same. After some explaining on his side, he sat down, patting the seat beside him. Lisbon rolled her eyes, but moved to sit down beside him. What she didn't expect was for Jane to pinch her ass playfully as she did. She whacked him in the arm and glared at him, though there was no real heat behind it.

"What is it with you always pinching my ass, Jane?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Well, yes I would, otherwise I wouldn't be asking."

"Nope, not telling." Jane laughed at Lisbon's put out expression. "Come here." He said, opening his arms in invitation, but Lisbon shook her head stubbornly.

"Nope."

"It's just a hug, Teresa, jeez." Jane tried to justify it, his arms still open.

"When you say that, it's never 'just a hug' Patrick. Now then, can we please concentrate on, oh I don't know, doing our jobs?"

"Fine woman, but I'll get my hug later."

…

Lisbon stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. How dare he do that?! Now she had to go and try to save her team from getting into too much trouble with the sheriff, and it was all Patrick Jane's fault. God, he was just so infuriating sometimes!

She jumped into the SUV, pulling the door shut harshly as her cellphone rang. As she talked into the device, she saw the Shand Creek Winery van pull up three spaces down in the parking lot. Why was the van here now, at this place? She slumped down in her seat as she spotted Malcolm, the chef, climb out of the van, along with his wife. Together, they pulled out a bound redheaded girl from the back and carried her towards the motel room Lisbon herself had just left.

Crap. Jane was still in there. Swiftly, she put her phone away and produced her gun, only emerging from her vehicle once she saw the motel room door close. She ran down to the door as quietly as possible, braced herself, and kicked it open with a bang.

"Police!" She yelled, only for Malcolm to turn around, knife raised. She had no choice. She shot him in the chest, only to turn around and face his wife. She tried to reason with the other woman, but had no choice other than to shoot her too.

Moving around the two dead bodies, she untied the kidnapped woman, gently soothing her at the same time. However, her eyes never left Jane's green ones.

…

That night, Lisbon stumbled blearily into her motel room and kicked off her shoes. It had been a long day, and all she wanted was some sleep. She fell on her bed, fully clothed, gun still attached to her hip, badge still attached to her belt. She just couldn't find the energy to take them off. She drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

…

Jane snuck into her room an hour or so later, smiling sadly as he saw the state she was in, spread out on top of the duvet. Gently, he removed her badge from her belt, placing it on the nightstand, before unholstering her gun and placing it in her usual spot beneath her pillow and then taking the holster off and placing it beside her badge. The he carefully removed her socks, belt and pants, folding them up into a neat pile on the chair in the corner of her room. He did the same with his own clothes before slipping into bed beside her and pulling the duvet over them both.

Usually, they wouldn't share a room on out of town cases, part of their carefully constructed plan to keep it all a secret, but he'd almost lost her today, and the thought of not seeing her until morning was just something he couldn't accept. He snuggled into her, wrapping his arms around her slim waist before drifting off to sleep as well.

…

The next day was Melanie's funeral, and the family had invited the team to go, expressing their thanks at finding their little girl's killers. There were lots of pink flowers and beautiful arrangements, but the sombre mood made the beauty insignificant.

"I don't get it." Van Pelt said softly. "She actually enjoyed helping him kill. One crazy evil person I understand, but two? Husband and wife?" She didn't see Lisbon glance away from them all, looking worried. "Marriage is supposed to be a sacred, loving thing."

Jane glanced towards the young redhead from his place at Lisbon's side. "Eh, they were soul mates in their own strange way." He commented, as his eyes returned to the back of Lisbon's head

"Let's go." Cho mouthed to Rigsby and Van Pelt. The three agents turned and moved away from the burial site, back towards where they'd left the cars.

Lisbon watched as the family turned towards her and Jane. The mother gave a small nod to Lisbon, and she nodded back. That was as much thanks as she needed, really. She could feel her eyes welling with tears as she turned away and started on the path away from the coffin. A hand came to rest on her shoulder. Jane's. She leant into it, grateful for the comfort he gave her.

"I won't help you kill him, Patrick." She suddenly whispered. The hand tightened a little on her shoulder, before Jane leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"I would never expect you to, Teresa."

**TBC...**


	3. Red Tide

**(A/N): Eek, I love you guys so much! Okay, I'm thinking of doing all the episodes, and splitting the fics into seasons. I'll definitely do season 1, but then if I decide to do season 2, it'll probably go under a different name to this fic.**

**Response time! And a group thank you to all of you that reviewed!**

**LAurore: **I know, right?! If you watch the episodes, and keep in the front of your minds that the pair are married, then the show and the things they say take on a whole new meaning hehe! Glad you liked it :)

**LouiseKurylo: **Half of it didn't come up until I wrote it down haha! But you're right, assuming they're intimate leads to everything changing in meaning :)

**lili87: **Aww, thanks. And your opinion counts!

**HeavenJu: **Yay! Thanks :)

**Guest: **Here I am, updating :)

**joyo-yoyo: **I know, but it does seem like something Lisbon would say. I think this chapter is happier and sadder all at once though.

**jalita: **I think you're right, and we can see gradual changes too that way :) thank you :)

**Okay, I will leave you all to get along and read this. I'll update when I can. Let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. The. Mentalist. Writing the disclaimer sucks.**

**HeavenSkye x**

**Through Thick And Thin.**

**Chapter 3.**

**Red Tide (1x03)**

"Teresa."

Lisbon murmured a little, before snuggling further into the pillow called Patrick Jane and resuming her sleep. Jane rolled his eyes before nudging her again. Usually, he'd try not to wake her until the alarm went off, but she was leaning on his arm, which had gone numb two hours ago, and he desperately needed the bathroom.

"Teresa." He tried again, louder this time. Lisbon murmured in her sleep again, but still didn't wake. How was a woman who was a state agent such a heavy sleeper?

"Teresa!" He almost yelled. Lisbon shot upright, reaching for her gun under her pillow immediately. Jane held his hands up in surrender, one of them tingling like mad as all the blood rushed back into it. "Don't shoot, it's just me. I need the bathroom." He told her. She groaned before flopping back down onto the bed and covering her face with a pillow.

Jane went to the bathroom and then back to the bedroom, feeling relieved. Lisbon hadn't moved, the pillow still covering her face. "Teresa?" He tried softly, only for her to stick her middle finger up at him, without moving the pillow from her face.

"Well that wasn't very nice, Teresa."

"Neither was waking me up at four in the morning after I've only had three hours sleep." Lisbon growled back, her voice slightly muffled by the pillow. Jane grinned, before lying on top of her, knowing his weight on her would make her move the pillow. Sure enough, two seconds later, she moved the pillow off her face, only to find Jane's face two inches from hers.

"Let me make it up to you then." He whispered huskily, before covering her mouth with his own.

…

Jane smiled as Lisbon snuck into the mens restroom, glancing behind herself as she did. Hurriedly, he finished washing his hands before pulling his wife into his embrace. They stood there for a few minutes before pulling back.

"So, what was so important that I had to sneak into the mens room?" Lisbon asked. Jane grinned.

"I know you heard the wager I made with dear Van Pelt."

"Yeah, so?" Lisbon asked, folding her arms over her chest. Jane kissed her briefly before pulling back again.

"So, my wonderful wife, where did the rookie hide the keys?"

…

They had a new case. A teenage girl had washed up on a beach, drowned. Lisbon shuddered. She hated cases that involved kids. Still, she had to go and brief the team, before they packed up all the equipment they could possibly need. They'd had to review all of their equipment two days earlier, and so no-one had been able to find what they were looking for since.

"Victim is Christine Tanner, 15. Drowned. Washed up on the beach in Santa Marta." Lisbon stated as she rounded the conference table all the cases were resting on. Everyone was looking for the equipment. Well, other than Jane and Van Pelt, who looked like they were doing some sort of strange dance. Lisbon rolled her eyes, ignoring the pair. "Who's got the ultraviolet?"

"Yup." Rigsby stated, handing his boss the hand held device. Lisbon nodded her thanks as she pushed it into its place in one of the shiny cases on the table. "So, she drowned. Why us?" Rigsby asked.

"Coroner found a wound consistent with getting hit in the head with a surfboard and water in her lungs, only it was ditch water. No salt, lot of bugs." Lisbon explained as she began to pull on her black suit jacket over her dark red t-shirt Jane had insisted she wear that morning.

Cho looked up at her from where he was packing, but then his attention was caught by Jane.

"So the killer is clever, but not as clever as he thinks he is." Jane commented from where he stood with Van Pelt, leading her around the room gently. He knew where the keys were obviously, but that didn't mean everyone else had to know how he knew that.

"Santa Marta sheriff's not taking this one?" Van Pelt asked in confusion.

Lisbon span around. "State beach, state case." She rolled her eyes at her husband's trick. She'd told him where the keys were, so now he was just showing off. Or something. "All right, what are you doing?"

Jane explained what was going on as he led Van Pelt around the floor of the bullpen, ignoring Lisbon's jibe about him being psychic. If anyone else had made light of something like that, he would have been livid, but he'd long made peace with telling her about his conman days, and knew she would never say anything like that in order to cause him pain. After a suitable amount of time, he let go of Van Pelt's arms and rounded the bullpen to the corner between the bullpen and Lisbon's office, where a lone potted plant sat. There, hidden beneath the leaves, were the car keys to the team issued SUV. He pulled them out and held them up with a grin, widening it when he saw the smiles on the faces of the rest of the team.

"Who's got shotgun?" Jane asked.

Lisbon shook her head, but she was smiling. "Can we go now?"

…

Lisbon looked round the Tanner house, eyes wide as she recognised things she'd rather not. The grungy mess of the place, despite obvious efforts to clean it up, the overwhelming aroma of grief and alcohol, and the countless bottles all over the house. It was almost an exact replica of her childhood home. Suddenly, she realised why she felt so strongly about this case. Christine Tanner had been her. Christine had been the one to cook and clean, and look after her younger siblings when she was just a child herself, just like she had had to. Mr Tanner didn't look like the violent type though, which was a relief, and meant that it was most likely that the father didn't do it.

During the interview, Lisbon felt herself spacing out, regressing back to when she was Christine's age and looking after her three younger brothers. It had been the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, and she really didn't want the other girl in the household, Lisa, to have to take over from where Christine left off. It wasn't right, and it most certainly wasn't fair.

As she walked out of the house, trying to sort out her notes with Van Pelt following behind her, she forgot about the steps and tripped, landing on her hands and knees and dropping the papers everywhere. She gritted her teeth and gathered up her papers before standing back up. Her knees were most definitely grazed.

"Are you okay?" Van Pelt asked, concerned. Lisbon glanced at her t-shirt. Her rings were still hidden, so it was good on that front, but her notes were all out of order and her head was pounding.

"Damn it." She muttered.

"It's gotta be tough." Van Pelt said softly. Lisbon could practically feel the pity oozing from the redhead's voice.

"What?" Lisbon asked in confusion.

"I mean, a drunk driver. Isn't that what happened to your mother?" Van pelt elaborated gently. Lisbon felt all the colour drain from her face, leaving her looking like a ghost, her freckles a stark contrast to the rest of her face. No, anything but that. She hated when people brought up her mother. Unless it was Jane because she knew he only did it to comfort her and make her feel better. He understood what it was like to lose someone that you loved very much, and he didn't speak with that pity in his voice that Lisbon hated so much.

Suddenly realising she'd probably gone too far, Van Pelt apologised. "Sorry. It's not my business."

"We don't discuss our personal lives in this unit. It's not useful and it's not professional." Lisbon sniped back, feeling a little colour return to her face. She also felt a little guilty. She'd _married_ someone from her unit, for crying out loud! That was about as personal as it could get, and there she was, berating Van Pelt over mentioning something personal!

To cover herself before she let something slip by accident, she pulled her cellphone from her pocket and dialled Cho's number, telling him the names to run down. From the corner of her eye she saw Van Pelt move towards the car.

As soon as Cho ended the call, she placed another one to Jane, who answered it on the second ring.

"_Hey beautiful."_

Lisbon felt herself blushing, and the infuriating man wasn't even around! "Hush. I wanted to know how you are."

"_Teresa, what's wrong? You don't normally sound like that. What happened?"_

"Rick, I…" Lisbon trailed off self-consciously. She'd had the forethought to call him Rick whilst Van Pelt was still in earshot at least, but she didn't want to tell him on the phone when her rookie could overhear every word. Luckily, her husband seemed to understand that.

"_Tell you what, there's a wonderful diner near the hotel, and I'll take you for dinner. You can tell me all about it then, okay?"_

"Yeah, okay. Thank you, Rick."

"_No problem, sweetheart. Van Pelt is still in earshot, isn't she?"_

"Yeah, so?"

"_That's why you're calling me Rick. Anyway, I'll see you later. Love you."_

"Charmer." Lisbon shot at him playfully before hanging up. It's not like she could've said that she loved him too if Van Pelt was stood right there. That would have made everything three times as awkward as before.

…

Jane heard the disconnected tone and smiled. Sometimes he just couldn't resist. He turned back to Flipper with a grin. "The wife." He told the younger man cheerfully.

"She checkin' up on you or somethin'?" Flipper asked curiously as the pair made their way up to the trailer that Flipper called a home.

"Nah, she just worries about me." Jane smiled again. "Now, lets play some chess."

…

As Lisbon and Rigsby entered the trailer, she felt a sense of dread. Jane had something to do with it, she was sure of it. Since when did Jane just want to stay at the beach?

As soon as Flipper spoke, she knew. Jane poked his head round so he could see them and smiled. Lisbon glared at him. Flipper was dangerous, and Jane thought it was a good idea to follow the man to somewhere secluded where no-one knew he was there? How crazy could he get?

…

Lisbon's eyes widened as Christine's father started to get angry. It was all getting too much, reminding her too much of her own father. Bracing herself, she pushed Mr Tanner into the wall, standing in front of him and holding him back from going after Flipper.

"Go home now!" She yelled at him as the man began crying, in agony at losing both his wife and now his eldest daughter. "look at me." She told him firmly. Internally, she reprimanded herself. This man is _not_ your dad, he is not that violent, sorry excuse for a drunk. You can do this. "Look at me." She repeated as she saw Cho show up from the corner of her eye, no doubt willing to step in if he had to. Cho was loyal that way. "Look at me. You need to go home." She told him in a low voice. The man had sunk a little, so that he and Lisbon were face to face. He was sobbing, barely coherent, and Lisbon was surprised that he'd actually heard her.

Lisa stepped away from Micah, putting her hand on her father's arm, and smiling softly at Lisbon before returning her gaze back to her broken father. "Let's go home daddy." She said gently, before helping him stay upright as they moved back down the corridor, Mr Tanner making sure Micah came along with them.

Lisbon watched them go, trying to get her breathing back under control. She was thirty year old Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon. She was not the scared fifteen year old girl trying to hide the abuse she got on a daily basis. Not anymore.

She heard her phone ringing, and answered it with a short, "Lisbon." She turned as she listened, only to catch Van Pelt staring at her with the same pitying expression she'd had earlier. Lisbon gritted her teeth before concentrating solely on her phone call. "Yeah."

…

Jane remained silent until after they'd interviewed Christine's friends. "So, what's wrong?" He asked in a hushed voice as they walked back to the car. Lisbon stopped walking, swallowing heavily. Jane stopped too before walking up to her and placing his hands on her upper arms. "Teresa, look at me." She did so reluctantly. He saw the tears in her eyes. "Oh sweetheart, come here." He whispered as he pulled her into a hug. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be okay, Teresa."

Lisbon simply buried her head into the place where his neck and shoulder joined, shaking her head. Jane soothingly stroked her ponytail.

"Let me know when you want to talk then."

…

"How do you manage it?" Lisbon asked, exasperated as she held tissues to her husband's nose.

"Ah, dunno." Jane replied, wincing as his wife pressed the tissues more firmly onto his nose. They were both sat in the latter's office with the blinds closed. The rest of the team assumed they were shut so that they wouldn't have to be witnesses when their boss finally killed the consultant.

Jane winced again at the pain radiating through his face. Lisbon glanced at it speculatively. "It's not broken." She told him. "However, you're definitely going to have to black eyes come morning."

"I'm sorry." He suddenly said. Lisbon looked at him confusedly.

"What for?"

"We came back home before nightfall, so we didn't have the chance to go out to the diner for dinner."

Lisbon shrugged. "I'm sure you know of a good diner round here."

Jane smiled, which quickly fell as it hurt his nose, before pulling his wife into his lap on the red couch. "Love you."

Lisbon smiled, stroking his face gently, careful not to touch his nose. "Love you too."

…

"You brought him all the way back here, why?" Minelli asked, clearly pissed. Lisbon rolled her eyes as she hurried to keep up with him. She loved Minelli like a father, but there were many things she hadn't told him. Such as her marriage to a certain pain-in-the-ass consultant. Sure, it was in her file, but Personnel had sorted that out, and as both Lisbon and Jane had a particular friend in that department, the news hadn't spread round the building like wildfire.

"The local sheriff begged me not to put him in his jail." Lisbon explained. "Kurtik's a big cheese down there."

"That is a signal." Minelli returned immediately. £Is that not a signal that we should cut this man loose?" He asked crossly. Lisbon fought the urge to roll her eyes as she took the file back from her boss.

"He hit Jane pretty good." She told him. Minelli was the one to roll his eyes at that. Jane had stuck to Lisbon's team like glue, and Lisbon was very protective of her team. Minelli knew Lisbon wouldn't go into the interview, even if it was only to ensure she didn't hit him in return for hitting a member of her team, no matter how much they deserved it. "People were watching. I had to arrest him."

"This guy is connected. This guy is-" Minelli scoffed. "He has the governor's home phone number. And we both know that Jane was asking for it. You couldn't just give Kurtik a stern talking to instead?"

Lisbon sighed. She hated politics. Why should she care if the guy had the home number of the governor? He was still a human being, just like everyone else. Still, that wasn't an argument she could make to her boss. "What about Christine Tanner sir? If Kurtik was having sex with her, that gives him motive to kill."

"If. And that's a hunch. Based on rockabilly."

"It's a Jane hunch. You keep him around for a reason. Look, just let us work with Kurtik until his lawyer gets here. Maybe we can get something more."

"All right." Minelli gave in. He couldn't deny her when he saw her hopeful expression, the one that said she believed he could do anything in the world. "Work him gently." He warned her as he walked off. Damn, he could never say no to her.

…

Jane smiled as Kurtik threatened him and his wife, fastening the cuffs of his shirt. Kurtik was all talk anyway. He wouldn't do it because then the reason why would get out. Even the hint of statutory rape would ruin Kurtik's life forever, and the odious man knew it.

Kurtik turned round, only to nearly bump straight into Lisbon. He blatantly checked her out, his expression smug.

"Keep walking, Mr Kurtik, or I'm gonna have to arrest you again." She stated, annoyed. She hated people checking her out, and those times were the ones when she desperately wished her ring was on her finger and not hidden down her shirt. She also hated the man because of what he'd done. If Jane said that Kurtik had raped Christine Tanner, then she believed him one hundred per cent.

"If you were fifteen years younger, I might give you a shot." Kurtik said lecherously, bent a little so he and Lisbon were face to face. He winked, as Lisbon narrowed her eyes in disgust at him. After a moment, Kurtik walked away.

Jane glanced over at his wife. Kurtik had obviously been disappointed not to have gotten the dark haired agent in his bed, no matter what he said about age. Lisbon however, looked disgusted, like she wanted to shower his words away. She locked eyes with him as he stepped up to her.

"Ignore him Teresa. You're beautiful, and I wouldn't change anything about you."

…

That night, Jane got home to find his wife curled up on the couch, looking at a photo album. He set his jacket down over the back of the couch and sat beside her. Immediately, she moved in so her head was resting on his chest and his arm was round her shoulders. She still had hold of the album. He took one look at the pictures before understanding washed over him. This was the reason she'd been upset all day.

"Christine's dad reminded you of your own."

Lisbon nodded into his chest. Jane held her tighter. "The house was almost exactly the same, right down to the bottles of alcohol scattered round. God, it makes me sick, Patrick. I hate him so much!"

"Sssh," He soothed her gently. "I'm actually grateful for your dad. And I feel a little sorry for him too."

"What?" Lisbon tore herself from his arms, setting the album down on the coffee table as she pulled her shirt up slightly, showing a thick white line on her stomach. "How can you be grateful for a man that did this to his little girl?" She demanded.

Jane sighed. "Teresa. I hate what he did, and if eh was still alive now then I would most likely kill him myself, but if your childhood hadn't been like it was, could you have guaranteed that any of this would've happened?"

"What?" Lisbon whispered as she slumped in her seat. Jane quickly gathered her into his arms again.

"Teresa, I'm grateful because I got you. I feel sorry for him because he never got to see just how amazing you are."

"Patrick-"

"Ssh, let's go to bed."

…

"Statutory rape, huh? What'll he get?" Mr Tanner asked, looking halfway sober for the first time since Lisbon had met him.

"He probably won't serve time." Lisbon admitted. "Not without Christine's testimony. But we'll have fun trying." She assured him.

She watched him carefully, warring with herself. Jane had said it was okay if she felt personally involved in the case, and especially if she wanted to make life better for Christine's younger sister and brother. Deciding, she opened her mouth. "You have good kids."

"Yeah, I do." He replied slowly.

"You're all they have."

"Yeah, I know." He made to move past her. Her next words caused him to turn back to the petite brunette.

"Be good to them."

As he looked into her eyes, he felt like he'd been punched. In the agent's eyes was the same look he'd seen so many times from his daughter. That look that said _I know exactly what you're doing, so why won't you stop? _mixed with a little bit of hurt and pain.

"I am good to them."

Lisbon swallowed heavily. She had to make him understand, make him get help somehow. "My father was a good man, just like you are. And after my mother died, he was a self-pitying drunk, just like you are. He killed himself. Damn near killed me and my brothers too." She pulled out a card, holding it out to him. "Get some help. Your kids deserve it. So do you."

Staring into those eyes that reminded him so much of Christine's, he knew. He'd get better. For his kids, for Christine. Lisa and Micah needed him, and he needed them too. He took the card gently, nodding his thanks to Lisbon before walking off.

Lisbon turned as she caught Jane staring at her, concerned. He'd obviously heard everything. She nodded her head to tell him she was okay. He nodded in return before making his way back down the corridor.

…

Four hours later found Jane and Lisbon packing up the second car to go back home. Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt had taken the first car, as the boys had refused to drive alone with Jane again. Lisbon smirked. Jane was almost intolerable on car journeys, unless they were going somewhere he wanted to go.

"Agent?" A young voice asked, causing both Lisbon and Jane to spin round. They found themselves staring at Lisa Tanner.

"Yeah, sweetie?" Lisbon managed through her surprise, suddenly remembering Jane's arm was round her waist. Lisa looked uncomfortable. "Do you want to speak to me alone?"

"Who is he?" Lisa asked instead.

"Patrick Jane. He'd my husband, Lisa." Lisbon told the girl gently. Lisa nodded as she appeared to gather up her courage.

"Daddy told me what you said to him." Lisa blurted out in a rush. Lisbon coloured a little, but before she could say anything, Lisa's arms were round her waist, hugging her. Lisbon hugged her back hesitantly as Jane smiled at the pair.

"Thank you." Lisa said as she hugged Lisbon tightly. "When daddy came home, he threw away all the beer and told me things were gonna be real different. He sounded like my daddy again. Thank you."

Lisbon nodded as she crouched until she was level with Lisa. "Its okay, sweetie." She handed Lisa one of her cards. "If you ever need anything…"

Lisa nodded, pocketing the card before waving to them both and running out of the parking lot. Jane walked up beside Lisbon, putting his hands on her waist and turning her to face him.

"See? You saved them, sweetheart. You're incredible."

Lisbon shook her head. "No, I'm not. I just don't want anyone else to have to go through what I did."

Jane nodded. "I still call incredible. So, how about the beach for our vacation?"

**TBC…**


	4. Ladies In Red

**(A/N): Woo! Another chapter! Even I'm excited that I finished this one! Damn, this was hard to write. Hopefully I can get the next chapter up more quickly. I make no promises though. College is hectic right now, and I'm supposed to be revising none stop, so I promise no matter what that I won't have forgotten to write for this. Thank you to all who reviewed, followed, and favourited.**

**Responses:**

**LAurore: **Thank you! I loved that chapter too!

**LouiseKurylo: **Yeah, I get what you mean. I've started showing a little of the background in this chapter, and I'll do it little by little I think. Thanks :)

**JanaDKatic: **Yay! Here's the next one! But I'm not sure that this is as happy a chapter! Still, hope you like it! :)

**jane-i-need-you: **Aww, don't cry! Thank you though :)

**lili87: **I know, me too! They need more moments like that between them. Thanks for the review and I hope you like this chapter.

**joyo-yoyo: **Thanks :) Hope you like this chapter too!

**This chapter is darker and explores a few insecurities of their marriage, Lisbon's at least. Jane's will come later. So anyway, OOC and all that. Just give it a chance, please. Still, I'd like to know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it, but I have a pile of college work I want to get rid of but can't. But nope, not owning the mentalist is something I have to live with.**

**Enjoy the chapter and I hope to see you all again soon,**

**HeavenSkye x**

**Through Thick and Thin.**

**Chapter 4.**

**Ladies In Red (1x04)**

"Patrick, do you own a vest that actually matches your suit?" Lisbon asked teasingly as they got ready for another day. She looked in the closet for a moment before remembering that the washing still needed doing, so she pulled out a warm brown shirt and began fastening it up over a plain black t-shirt.

Jane stuck his head out from the ensuite bathroom, a toothbrush stuck in his mouth. He took it out in order to speak. "Of course, my dear, why do you ask?"

"In all the time I've known you, I don't think I've ever seen you wear a vest that matched the suit on that day." Lisbon commented as she tucked her shirt into her black slacks and knelt, hunting for her boots under the queen sized bed.

Jane frowned a little. "What are you trying to say, Teresa?"

Lisbon looked up, the smile sliding off her face as she saw Jane's expression. He looked angry, and a little hurt.

"Patrick, I-"

Her cellphone interrupted her before she could say any more.

…

Stood at the funeral, Lisbon could feel Jane's annoyance with her burning a hole in her back. What had happened? She had only been teasing him, for crying out loud! He teased her all the time! In fact, last night he'd been teasing her about the way she sat on the couch, saying that she looked so small when she curled up on it that he'd thought he'd lost her! What had changed since then?

She listened to Cho and Rigsby blame Jason Sands for his own death. Personally, she figured that the man disappearing into that safe room hadn't been his brightest moment, but there were better places to say so than at his funeral.

She felt an involuntary smile break free as she told Jane that the wife and daughter went to see_ Peter and the Wolf_. She'd been to see it twice. Once when she was little with her brothers, and once with her niece, Annabeth, who was now ten years old.

She and Van Pelt turned to leave. Rigsby's dejected reply almost had her consoling him like she would with one of her brothers. She settled for teasing instead. "You never know, somebody might confess." She then proceeded to walk back to the car with Van Pelt.

…

"Van Pelt, you're killing me." Rigsby stated. Cho and Jane turned to see Rigsby checking out Van Pelt's ass as she walked back to the car with Lisbon. Involuntarily, Jane's eyes wandered to Lisbon's ass. God, his wife was hot. A rush of guilt washed over him as his mind wandered back to that morning.

Looking back on it, it was clear that she'd been teasing him, much as she had with Rigsby just then, but somehow, his mind had convinced him that she was being cruel, that she was trying to change him. Which was utterly ridiculous. Not that he didn't want to change for his wife, far from it. No, it was because Lisbon had seen the worst of him, and she still loved him, had still married him, knowing who he was and what would happen in the future. He'd never made any of that a secret. He decided not to dwell on it, and settled for teasing Rigsby about his crush on the rookie, Cho joining in, deadpan as ever.

Rigsby finally shot back with, "I don't see a crowd of women following you around."

Jane frowned, confused. "Why would I want a crowd of women following me around?" Really, why? He was a happily married man. Thinking back to that morning, an image of Lisbon's confused and hurt expression popped into his mind. Maybe not so happily married right at that moment. He'd have to make it up to her.

Now, he had to prove Rigsby wrong, and try to seduce the widow.

…

Minelli was berating them again for Jane's attempted seduction at the funeral. Jane was attempting to stay calm and collected, but Lisbon kept shooting him alternately angry and hurt looks. She had no idea what was happening; all she knew was that her _husband_ had just tried to seduce a woman at a funeral. Minelli glanced between them, his eyes lingering on Lisbon's expression before he shot another glare at Jane. He didn't completely understand Lisbon's expression, but knew enough to guess that it was Jane's fault.

"And what were you thinking leaving this man alone at an event like that?" Minelli demanded as he turned to face the duo, only to stop for a split second as Lisbon almost imperceptibly winced.

"No excuses, I mistakenly treated him as a responsible adult." Lisbon replied softly, her pretence not quite masking the hurt in her voice. Lisbon glanced at Jane, her eyes full of tears she wouldn't shed in front of her boss.

Jane ignored it, hating himself as he did. "I do have a plan."

"Which is?"

The verbal sparring went on for a little while, whilst Lisbon stayed silent. She had to be a cop first and a wife second, and it was killing her. She wanted nothing more than to drag Jane to one side and ask him to explain. But she couldn't. She wouldn't. She swore that when they got married, she would marry him knowing who he was, and being under no illusions as to his character. He liked women, she knew that. She fought the urge to cry. She just hadn't expected it to hurt like this when he found someone else, even if it wasn't clear if he was going after the widow or not.

"…So I tolerate you, and I protect you, and I let you make Lisbon's life a misery." She heard Minelli say, and she definitely agreed with it. Especially now.

Minelli watched as the two exited the room from separate sides. Something was going on between them, that was for sure.

…

Jane twisted his wedding ring guiltily. He'd had to lie about his marital status to Jennifer Sands in order to gain her confidence, and he now hated himself for it. He also hated that Lisbon seemed resigned to what he was doing. He never thought he'd see the day that Teresa Lisbon lost that feisty stubbornness he loved so much, but he had.

Oh, how he wanted to reassure her that she was the only woman for him, that after he married Angela, his womanizing days were over, and he hadn't gone back to them. He wanted to assure her that he took his marriage vows seriously, but he couldn't when she avoided him at every turn, and allowed him to wander off on his own.

He'd messed up big time, and he needed to fix it before he lost her.

…

"You're not soft on her, are you?" Lisbon asked. Her eyes screamed that she didn't want to believe it but it was looking more than likely. The words were out of his mouth before he'd really thought about them.

"No. Maybe a little."

He then changed the subject abruptly to the lawyer, and Lisbon went along with it until she realised what he'd said. "Did you say maybe a little?"

"She's a gorgeous grieving widow. Of course maybe a little."

Lisbon felt like ice had just been shoved down her throat, making it hard to breathe. She'd been married to Jane for over a year, and never once had he called her gorgeous. Sure, he called her beautiful, and on rare occasions incredible, but never gorgeous. She closed her eyes briefly to rid herself of the tears before opening them and continuing as a professional. She walked out before Jane could catch up with her.

…

Lisbon sank onto the red couch, breathing deeply. Oh, how she wished for Jane's ability to mask her emotions right now. She hated knowing that anyone who looked too closely at her could see the hurt and betrayal lingering on her face. Sometimes, she honestly wondered why they got married at all. After all, they weren't exactly the most compatible couple in the world. She'd been as by the book as she could be ever since she'd joined the police academy in San Francisco, wanting the closure for others that she'd never received for herself. Jane was a self-confessed fake psychic with a thirst for vengeance. How in hell had they lasted for so long?

Lisbon smiled sadly as she remembered the day she'd gone on her first date with him. She'd had a long day at work, a child-trafficking case that had ended in a lot of little children dead or seriously injured, and had pretty much collapsed on her couch when she'd gotten in, not even bothering to take off her jacket or gun as she'd sighed heavily. God, she hated cases that involved children. Jane had shown up not long after, stating that she needed to eat, and that he was going to make sure she'd eaten, whether she liked it or not.

Lisbon smiled, running a hand over her mouth gently. That night had been when Jane had first kissed her too. When he'd brought her back from a cosy restaurant, more intimate than Lisbon had liked to admit to, he'd dropped her off at her door and pressed a soft, gently probing kiss to her lips. At the time, she'd been too surprised to return it, but now she looked back on the memory fondly.

She swallowed heavily, biting back tears as she stood up and straightened her clothes. Musing over her marriage would have to wait. Right now she had a lawyer to visit.

…

Jane followed Lisbon as she led him and Cho down to the Sausalito Marina, in search of Happy Landings Entertainment. He could feel the hurt and desperation radiating off her in waves, but somehow, he couldn't think of anything that would make it better. He knew he hurt her, made her doubt his faithfulness, and some part of him felt betrayed that she'd think that of him. But the overwhelming part of him felt that after the way he'd treated her that morning, she had ever right to be doubting him. He'd done nothing but hurt her.

Jane sighed. Time to focus on the job, and he'd make up for it later. She hadn't served him with divorce papers yet, so he hadn't done anything he couldn't come back from. He almost smiled as he watched her searching the boat, gun drawn, face tight and focused. He loved her, and for now, that would have to be enough.

…

Lisbon collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted. Wow, that was one hell of a day. The opposing views on her husband made her want to laugh, especially Adrianna Jonovic's comment on him being gay. Between her and Jennifer Sands, there were two deeply conflicting views on her husband. If the widow hadn't made her feel worse about herself than she usually did, it would have made her laugh. A widow that was hell-bent on getting a man that still wore a wedding ring.

She sat up suddenly, frowning. Why was Jennifer Sands going after her husband? Shouldn't she still be grieving, less than a week after Jason Sands' death? It didn't make any sense.

Sighing, she made herself get up and get changed into a grey tank top and violet shorts that barely reached mid-thigh. Whatever. They were comfortable, and it wasn't like she cared what anyone else thought about her. Usually.

She pulled the chain from round her neck and put her wedding ring back on her finger before putting the chain back round her neck and sinking into the mattress, closing her eyes. Lay flat out on the bed, left hand curled round Jane's old wedding ring, she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

…

Jane let himself into the house, setting his jacket down over the back of the couch. He ran his hands over his face tiredly. It had been a long day. He smiled gently, not his usual mega-watt grin, as he remembered Adrianna's comment about taking Julie with her and Jason when they fled the country on the boat. He wandered up the stairs and gazed at his wife's sleeping figure through the open doorway. A glint of light from the bedside lamp shined off the ring on her left hand.

He walked through the doorway, sitting on the edge of the bed beside Lisbon's sleeping figure. Would she do the same as Adrianna? If Charlotte had survived, would Lisbon have taken her in like Adrianna wanted to take Julie in? Jane smiled. Of course she would. Lisbon was far too good for him.

He changed into his old-fashioned pyjama pants and climbed into his side of the bed, setting his cellphone down on his nightstand before turning Lisbon to face him gently. Her eyes fluttered open, blinking sleepily at him.

As soon as she was awake enough, she attempted to shift away from him, but he held her hip and shoulder in place, preventing her from moving. "Jane?" She asked questioningly, her voice still husky with sleep. Jane smiled.

"I love you, Teresa. Only you. I'm not the womanizer I once was, I promise you. I want you, just you, I swear. Now and forever, my dear." Jane murmured, his mouth placed right next to her ear. She shivered involuntarily, and he had to grin at her reaction. "I take my marriage vows seriously, Teresa, so how could you think I wouldn't want you?"

Lisbon mumbled something as she tried to turn over and put her back to him. He simply turned her back to face him. The hand that had once been resting on her shoulder crept up her neck to stroke her cheek softly.

"What?"

"You were soft on her. You tried to seduce her. You called her gorgeous." Lisbon muttered, flushing a deep red colour as she had to admit it out loud. Yes, it had bothered her. Growing up in a houseful of boys hadn't left much room for her to care about her looks, but to see someone like Jennifer Sands, who looked good and clearly knew it, left her wondering what exactly it was her husband saw in her.

"Oh, Teresa." Jane pushed on her hip until she lay on her back before covering her body with his own and planting butterfly kisses over her face and neck. "How… can… you… not… know… how… gorgeous… you… are?" He asked in-between kisses. "You're… the… most… gorgeous… most… beautiful… woman… ever."

Lisbon reached out to grab his neck and pull his face up to hers so she could see into his light green eyes. "You mean that?"

"Teresa, please. You know I do." Jane responded, watching as her eyes lightened, and a small smile graced her lips. He pressed his own lips to hers, gently kissing away her smile. Just as his hand began to graze her stomach, Lisbon frowned.

"Patrick?"

"Yes, my darling wife?"

"Don't you think it's a bit odd that Jennifer Sands was interested in you when her husband hasn't even been dead a week?"

Jane grinned. Lisbon was a lot more perceptive than people gave her credit for. "I do. But now is not the time for talking, my dear."

He then proceeded to make sure she was in no doubt as to whom he wanted for the rest of the night.

…

"Patrick? Will you hold me? I need someone to hold me, please."

Jane searched Jennifer's eyes, his hand automatically playing with his wedding band. Whilst he knew Lisbon would no longer mind if he offered that small comfort to the woman, he minded. He was married to Lisbon, and saving all his attention and comfort and love for her was the least he could do. She'd drawn the short straw in so many other areas that he felt he owed her that much. She'd never ask for it, but she shouldn't have to. So he changed his expression into an apologetic one, albeit an insincere one.

"I'm sorry Jennifer. I wish I could."

…

Jane poked his head into Lisbon's office as soon as he'd entered the CBI building. He smiled as he saw her filing out more forms of dreaded paperwork. He'd place money on most of them being complaint files concerning himself.

"The duck."

Lisbon looked up from the mountain of paperwork in front of her. "What are you talking about, Jane?" She asked. Really, could her husband get any stranger? A smile crept onto her face. Her husband. All hers, and he'd made sure she'd remember it all right.

Jane grinned as he saw the thoughts passing through her mind. He stepped into her office so he wouldn't be overheard. "My, my agent, such dirty thoughts. Are such thoughts allowed for a good catholic girl like yourself?"

Lisbon blushed, as he knew she would. "Hush, Jane, and explain yourself. What does a duck have to do with anything?"

"The duck is an oboe."

"Still not making any sense Jane."

"_Peter and the Wolf_. The duck is an oboe."

"Oh, right. So?"

"Jennifer Sands thinks it's a bassoon."

"But anyone who's seen _Peter and the Wolf _knows that-" Lisbon broke off as realisation dawned on her. Jane smiled softly at her.

"Exactly."

Lisbon nodded before standing up. "Come on. Van Pelt and Rigsby should be back from Oakland about now."

…

"Still awake?" Jane asked, sat in the car all by himself. He could hear the rain lashing down and the wind howling round the nearby buildings.

"Wide. Jane, be careful. Don't try and get them to say anything or stop them. All we need is their phone." Lisbon responded almost immediately. Jane grinned. He made a silent bet with himself that she was stood in the bullpen, with a cup of coffee in her hand, trying her best to pull another all-nighter on coffee and the drive to solve the murder and now find the little girl.

"Just send us the number. We'll track the kidnapper's address." Rigsby's voice broke in, reminding him that it wasn't just Lisbon on the other side of the camera and microphone.

"Oh, here comes someone." Jane commented as he noticed a figure under a large umbrella walking towards him purposefully. Really, why would anyone else be out here in this weather?

"Jane, just do your mind games and get out of there, okay?" Lisbon told him, her voice holding only the faintest hint of worry. Cop first, wife second. He knew that mantra would be running through her head, though the wife part would be screaming for her to rush to him and pull him out of harm's way.

"Don't worry, mom." Jane teased, watching the figure getting closer. Oh, how good it felt for him to be able to tease her again.

…

"I have a plan." Jane told the others as they stood in the hallway outside Bennett's hospital room. Lisbon rolled her eyes as the others exchanged glances.

"Like what?" Lisbon asked, curious despite herself. "It was Bennett. He had the kid."

"Yeah, but either Jennifer or Adrianna acted as his accomplice. We need to know which one."

Lisbon sighed. She hated it when he was right. "So, in theory, what's your plan?"

Jane grinned. "First, you need to get Minelli on board, in case we need someone to have our backs."

Lisbon groaned. "Really? Minelli?"

"He'll show up anyway to see what happened to Bennett. I'll have to go back to the victim's house to catch the accomplice." Jane reasoned as the other three members of the team slunk away in search of some more coffee. Lisbon groaned again.

"Damn," She swore, before holding her hand out to Jane. "Fine, but you're paying for his coffee."

…

"Adrianna!" Julie grinned as Adrianna walked into the hospital room, a suitcase of Julie's in her hands. Julie then turned to the dark haired woman sat beside her, playing with her Troll dolls and a stuffed bunny rabbit.

"See, Teresa? Adrianna always comes back for me." Julie said matter-of-factedly as she positioned the bunny rabbit by the railing of the hospital bed.

Lisbon smiled as she set Wendy Sands down onto the bedcovers and walked over to Adrianna. "What's wrong?"

"They won't let me have Julie. She has to go in your stupid foster care, and I won't see her again."

"You love her." It wasn't a question.

Adrianna answered anyway. "Yes, I do. Jennifer is a cold woman, but Julie is not. I love her, but she has to go, yes?"

Lisbon smiled softly, handing a sheaf of papers over to Adrianna. "It turns out, Jason didn't have any family left. We don't want to hand Julie over to any of Jennifer's family. It turns out, Jason had filed for you to be named guardian over Julie if anything should happen to him. The paperwork was finalised this morning. You can take Julie home with you to Jason's boat, if you want."

Adrianna stared at Lisbon in shock. "You are not joking with me are you?"

"Deadly serious. Adrianna, you love her more than her own mother ever did. She sees you as a mom to her, so why not? Just be good to her, okay?"

"Okay, I will." Adrianna nodded, taking the papers from the agent, tears spilling down her face. "Thank you, agent."

Lisbon nodded as she began to walk out the door. "Goodbye, Adrianna, Julie."

"Bye Teresa." Julie called out, waving from the bed. Lisbon waved back with a smile before continuing out of the hospital room.

"Agent?"

Lisbon turned at the door to find Adrianna watching her with a smile. "Mr Jane, he is not gay, is he?"

Lisbon smiled in return. "No, he isn't."

Adrianna nodded. "You love him."

"He's my husband. Of course I love him."

"I see the same in you two that was between Jason and me. What you have is special. Don't let it go."

"I won't. Look after Julie."

"Of course."

"Goodbye Adrianna."

"Goodbye agent."

…

"Patrick?" Lisbon called out as she walked into their home, setting her badge and gun on the hallway table and hanging up her jacket in the closet. "Patrick?"

Jane appeared from the other side of the couch, grinning. "Come here, Teresa."

"Why?" Lisbon asked, instantly suspicious. Jane rolled his eyes.

"Must you question everything, woman?" He asked as he approached her. Gently prising her briefcase from her hand and setting it down beside the hallway table, he pulled her round the couch with him.

Set in front of the couch was a picnic. A chequered tablecloth was set out on the floor along with plates of sandwiches and cakes, with a bottle of wine and two glasses, candles on the coffee table that had been moved to the side of the room.

"Ta da."

Lisbon smiled, tears in her eyes as she turned to Jane. Thankfully, he understood her unspoken question.

"Teresa, I love you. Am I not allowed to make a picnic for my wife in our living room? I figured we could eat and watch tv if you really want to. I don't mind."

"Patrick." Lisbon sat down on one side of the cloth and pulled him down to sit beside her. "Thank you."

"What for?" He asked as she pulled her rings out from under her shirt and put her ring on her finger.

"For everything."

**TBC…**


	5. Redwood

**(A/N): Okay, so I'm not quite sure what to make of this one, but I finished it and can't think of anything else I could put in to make it better, so here is what you get. It includes a lot more than the episode this time, but I hope I haven't spoilt it for you. That would suck. A big thank you to everyone who followed and favourited this story, but a humongous thank you to everyone who reviewed:**

**lili87: **I know, I loved the ending. I was just thinking, "I can't have poor little Julie with nowhere to go" and I couldn't resist throwing a little humour in there after how serious the rest of it was. Still, I'm glad you liked it.

**LouiseKurylo: **Thanks. I wouldn't have wanted to be Lisbon in that episode either hehe.

**HeavenJu: **Thanks! And here it is, the next "episode", though I'm not sure how good it is. Enjoy!

**Chocolate498: **Thanks for the support! I hope I don't disappoint.

**sen: **Thanks, and here is the next update. I hope it's as good as you want it to be.

**JanaDKatic: **Aww, thanks sweetie! I think it's wonderful that you love my fiction so much! I don't like this chapter personally, but I'm hoping you do, so enjoy!

**Okay, so I'm sorry I took so long to update (studying at college sucks). If anyone has any tips on how to pass college, or any revision tips that would help someone easily distracted (AKA me), I would love to know.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the mentalist. If I did I would not be forcing myself through college, or university.**

**I hope you all enjoy it, despite my feelings on this chapter, and I'll see you all for the next isntallment.**

**HeavenSkye x**

**Through Thick and Thin.**

**Chapter 5.**

**Redwood. (1x05).**

"_Hey, Reese."_

"Tommy." Lisbon responded as she fought her way into her jeans, one hand pressing the phone to her ear. Jane walked over and helped her get her jeans on silently, smiling softly at her. They'd just gotten a call out to a crime scene, and Lisbon hated early morning wake ups. And Jane knew she would be grumpy today. Her brother had just called, which meant that she wouldn't have enough time to consume any coffee before heading to the crime scene. He pitied whoever was in charge of that particular scene. In-Charge Lisbon wasn't the best person to deal with, but an un-caffeinated In-Charge Lisbon was much, much worse. Smiling to himself, he gathered up her t-shirt, and began to try to get it over his wife's head as she continued her call.

"_I, uh, just wanted to tell you that we're gonna be in Sacramento this weekend. Me, Annabeth, James, Myra, Katy and George. We'll come round on Saturday."_

"Tommy, I don't-" Lisbon tried, only to be cut off by her younger brother as her husband managed to get the t-shirt over her head.

"_No, Reese. We've gotta see you. Annabeth misses you loads. I still don't get why you couldn't come down at Christmas."_

"I was busy Tommy." Lisbon responded. In reality, she'd spent Christmas with her husband, even if he had tried to convince her to go to Chicago to see her family. She wasn't leaving him all alone, and he had actually been ill up until late on Christmas Eve, so it wasn't like he would've been able to accompany her.

"_You're always busy. Hey, maybe we can meet your new boyfriend!"_

"What new boyfriend?" Lisbon asked as Jane started silently laughing, pushing her arms into the sleeves of the t-shirt and tucking it into her jeans before retrieving her belt and feeding it through the loops on her waistband, before fastening it. He then snuck a kiss to his wife's lips as she swatted him away playfully.

"_No new boyfriend? Damn, that means I owe James ten bucks."_

"Tommy." Lisbon responded disapprovingly. She and Jane had actually invited all three of her brothers to the wedding under the pretence of a vacation so that Red John wouldn't find out about it. All three brothers had declined. Tommy had had to deal with a custody battle for Annabeth, James had been on his own honeymoon with his wife Myra, and George had been travelling the world, and hadn't wanted to cut it short. So, none of them knew about their sister's husband, and Lisbon had never found the right time to tell them. Jane didn't mind. He knew they'd find out eventually. It wasn't like she was hiding him in a broom closet or anything. She wasn't hiding their marriage on purpose.

At least if they found out, they couldn't convince their sister out of it, Jane thought, grinning as Lisbon finished up her conversation. Technically, they couldn't encourage her to be a runaway bride if he'd already married her.

He handed her her jacket and stole another kiss from her as they made their way out of the door. "So, what's up with Tommy?"

"All three of them are visiting this weekend, and insisting that I see them."

"Okay. Are you going to?" He asked as they climbed into the SUV. They were going to swing by the other three agents' houses on the way.

"I don't know. Part of me doesn't want to, in payback for missing the wedding."

"And the Saint Teresa part?"

Lisbon rolled her eyes, whacking Jane in the arm playfully. "Will you stop? I'm no saint. But the other part of me loves them, and wants to do as Tommy asked."

"We'll figure it out." Jane promised her, raising her hand to his lips and kissing the back of her palm gently. "Together. It's only Tuesday, my dear. We'll have it all figured out by Saturday, I can tell."

"Like a Psychic thing?" Lisbon asked with a grin as they turned onto Rigsby's street.

"No, my darling wife. I'm just confident in it, that's all."

…

"Just to be clear, except in special circumstances, we don't help out. We take over. You need to be okay with that." Lisbon told the sheriff at the crime scene shortly as they walked up to the yellow tape cordoning off the area. She really hated early morning calls, and couldn't take her mind off of her brothers. Without turning round, she knew Jane was grinning a little. He always found her bad moods funny until she turned that anger and mood onto him. Then he did his best to run for the hills.

"Okay. I guess." The older man replied, lifting up the tape for her. Normally, she'd have thanked him, but her attention was caught by the car in the middle of the crime scene and she ducked under the tape, Cho following her diligently.

Jane stopped by the sheriff, his face displaying a rare show of sympathy for the older man. He hated being on the wrong end of his wife's bad moods, and pitied anyone else who did, especially if they'd done nothing to deserve it as this man had.

"She's not really a morning person." Jane told the man in a low voice, careful not to be overheard by the woman in question. She wasn't that far away, after all. "She'll improve." He concluded with a nod before ducking under the tape himself. He glanced at the tense posture of his wife and repressed a sigh. He'd have to think up a solution to her problems, and quick, before anyone else felt the sharp edge of Lisbon's mood.

…

"Do we know if she's armed?" Kyle asked, hands on his hips. Jane winced almost imperceptibly. To anyone else, he was his usual self, but he was watching Lisbon carefully. He'd known that the minute she'd heard about Nicole, Lisbon's protective drive had kicked in. He could also tell that after glancing at Kara's body, his wife didn't think Nicole was the one responsible for her best friend's death. But, as always, Teresa Lisbon was a professional, which didn't work out so well for Kyle in this instance. Jane settled back and waited for the fireworks to erupt.

"What do you know about this case?" Lisbon demanded, her eyes narrowing at the ginger man wearing glasses. Assumptions weren't usually tolerated on cases unless it came under the title 'Jane Hunch', and even less so on cases where people were missing.

"Same thing as everybody else, I guess." Kyle said as he turned to Lisbon, his posture that of one trying to exude authority when in reality he probably had very little, if any of. "Some badass town-y girl got mad drunk, stabbed her friend to death, and ran off into the woods."

Jane and the sheriff exchanged glances, both aware of the dressing down Kyle was about to get. Lisbon's stance went a little wider, her entire demeanour exuding the genuine authority that Kyle lacked.

"Kara Palmer died from loss of blood. Nicole Gilbert is missing." Lisbon told him firmly, ignoring the looks from both Jane and the sheriff. "Maybe she ran off, maybe she was abducted. We don't know. Don't assume anything."

"Message received and understood, ma'am." Kyle responded, even though it looked like it pained him to say the words. "Alright, fellas." He motioned to the other men and they followed him reluctantly. Jane noticed the respectful looks they were throwing Lisbon, and stifled another grin as Lisbon and the sheriff began talking once more.

"You knew Nicole. You think she did this?" Lisbon asked. Jane searched the sheriff's face. He was uncertain. He didn't think Nicole had killed Kara, but he was withholding judgement until he got the fact in. Hence the uncertainty.

"Who knows what others are capable of?" The sheriff responded, looking at his shoes for a moment. "She sure had built up a lot of bad karma. But, I don't know. She seemed to be turning her life around." The sheriff offered his honest opinion, quickly realising that honesty was the only way to go with the CBI team, especially its team leader and its consultant.

"Bad karma doesn't have an expiration date." Lisbon replied, her tone softer than before.

Jane suddenly turned to face his wife. "Actually, it does. According to traditional Buddhist teachings. I'm counting on it." He said matter-of-factedly. Lisbon frowned a little at her husband before her expression cleared and she focused back on the job at hand.

"Let's go."

…

"Karma?" Lisbon asked later in the search for Nicole, making sure they were out of earshot of the sheriff. Jane glanced at her a moment before nodding and looking through the trees again.

"I figured that it couldn't hurt."

"Oh. So, it also has an expiration date?"

"That it does, my dear."

"When?"

"I think it was about the time I met you."

"Seriously, Jane."

"Seriously? I'm not sure. But I still believe my bad karma ran out the minute I met you."

Lisbon had to smile. "That's corny."

Jane grinned back in return. "I know. But you love me all the same."

…

"Soon as she's well enough, I'm charging her and taking her to jail." The sheriff stated. Jane glanced at Lisbon in time to see her protective side take charge and her eyes narrow dangerously at the older man. He felt instantly sorry for the sheriff again.

"Sheriff, you have custody of Nicole, but CBI is leading this investigation. I decide when to file charges. We don't have the full facts yet." Lisbon told the sheriff firmly, obviously not taking no for an answer. She'd go over his head if she had to, but she'd get the right person in the end, and her gut kept telling her that Nicole wasn't the killer, and for once she was going to listen to it.

"Facts? She's covered in blood. She's carrying what looks to be the murder weapon which the forensic guys say has Kara's blood on it. What more do you want?" The sheriff countered angrily.

Lisbon pursed her lips in annoyance before turning to face Nicole's doctor, effectively ignoring the irate sheriff. "Is she well enough to speak to?"

The doctor glanced between Lisbon and the sheriff, mentally weighing all the pros and cons of the situation before finally giving in and nodding his consent. "As long as you're gentle with her."

…

Jane pulled Lisbon to one side as they entered Redwood Point Town Hall where they'd been given a large room to use as a base whilst they were there. Lisbon looked up at Jane, worry shining in her eyes.

"You think Nicole's a victim."

"I do." Jane nodded as her encircled his arms around his wife's waist, engulfing her in a loose hug. Lisbon rested her head on Jane's shoulder.

"Thank you." She muttered into the fabric of his suit jacket. "I needed this."

"Of course, my dear. Now then, have you thought any more about this weekend?" Jane asked, hoping to distract her. It had the desired effect, as Lisbon immediately groaned and hid her face even more into her husband's shoulder.

"No. Why did you remind me?"

"Because you were trying to forget. All I'm going to say for now, Teresa, is that you can't put it off forever."

"I can try." Lisbon muttered stubbornly as she pulled back and her face set back into a worried expression. "But come on, we have to solve this case first."

"Of course."

…

Jane watched as the old woman playing the piano morphed into a memory of his daughter, Charlotte, playing the exact same song, his wife, Angela, sat at her side helping her along. Fur Elise by Beethoven. Oh, how proud Charlotte had been of accomplishing that song. She'd spent months perfecting it, and when she'd finally gotten it all right, she'd insisted that her daddy be the first one to hear it. He'd just gotten in from another tv appearance, and had been extremely tired, but Charlotte had insisted, and so he'd sat and listened to her play it through three times, a proud smile on his face throughout the renditions. Charlotte had begun to teach him how to play it too, around a month before she'd died. He'd only gotten the first minute of it right before he no longer had a teacher. He hadn't wanted to learn after that.

He smiled sadly as in his mind's eye, Charlotte looked to him. _"Daddy, listen." _Angela sat behind Charlotte, smiling widely at him, one arm around their daughter's shoulders. A single tear rolled down his cheek. Oh, how he missed them.

The vision faded as soon as his phone interrupted the wonderful music his daughter had been playing, and he answered swiftly, though he knew he voice had a slight catch to it. "What?" He listened to the other end. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be there." He hung up and put the phone back in the pocket of his vest. Maybe he would do a private concert later.

Time to get to work.

…

Jane and Lisbon stood a little away from the interview. Lisbon's skin was practically crawling at how creepy the suspect was, and Jane was feeling a little protective of his wife. However, Lisbon couldn't help but want to pull Van Pelt away from him too. She knew he was periodically checking both female agents out, no matter whom he was supposed to be answering.

When Cho commented on the man's size with exercise and a diet, Lisbon couldn't hide her smirk and had to look away. Cho was far too blunt sometimes, and it usually had a comical effect. It was part of the reason she'd picked him as part of her team. That, and she had wanted to give him a chance. No-one else would go within a foot of his file, just because he'd been in a gang as a kid. Lisbon had been the one to see that yeah, he'd been a messed up kid, but he was making amends for that past. She'd been the only one to actually hand in the file and personally request him. She'd done the same with Rigsby's too. But in the end she wouldn't have had it any other way. They were a family. They certainly acted like overprotective brothers towards her often enough.

Lisbon focused her attention back on the interview. Unfortunately, creepy and persistent weren't crimes, and she honestly didn't think he'd killed Kara, so they were going to have to let him go. Back to square one.

…

"_Pineapple. He smelled like Pineapple."_

"Pineapple? What the hell? Go-" Lisbon cut herself off as her husband's words registered. Pineapple. Where had she seen a pineapple before? Her face tightened as it hit her. Of course, the air freshener in Kyle's car had been a pineapple. That was when she realised, the description that Nicole had given matched Kyle perfectly. Pair that with the Pineapple air freshener, and she was almost certain it was him. And she was alone in the middle of the woods with him, without backup. She could only think of one word. Crap.

"Okay. Good." She responded instead, making it sound like Jane had cut her off instead, and was telling her something else. "Listen, tell Rigsby, Teresa needs his help." She spoke to Jane, remembering that Kyle didn't know her first name. "Me?" She asked, again making it sound like Jane had asked her a question, though the man hadn't said a word. "I'm at the Eagle Pine Lodge off Route 6."

"_Okay. Love you."_

"Me too." Lisbon stated before slipping her phone into her jacket pocket, still connected to Jane's cellphone. She then span to face Kyle, one hand on her holster. "Kyle, let's stay calm and think this through."

"Think what through?" He asked, attempting to sound as though he had no idea to what she was referring to, though his hand also made it to his weapon. Lisbon noticed immediately.

"I really don't wanna shoot you, but I do have to take you into custody for killing Kara Palmer. What are we gonna do about that?" She asked as she unbuckled her holster and started pulling her weapon out slowly, eyes focused on Kyle.

He grinned, even as he started to lift his own weapon out of its holster. "It's not like I set out to hurt anyone." Kyle stated. "I just wanted to talk to Nicole."

"Before she ran off and got married?" Lisbon queried. Kyle nodded.

"I've noticed her around town for a long time. I didn't want her marrying that guy, Jason. She's too good for him."

"Please Kyle, I really and truly do not wanna hurt you." Lisbon told him gently, trying to end the situation peacefully.

"You like your chances, do you?" Kyle returned with an almost manic grin as he pulled his gun on her at the same time she pulled hers on him.

Then the shooting began.

…

As soon as Lisbon entered the motel room that night, she was engulfed by her husband. Jane hugged her to his chest tightly, clinging to her for dear life. Lisbon hugged him back just as tightly.

"Thank god you're alright Teresa." He muttered into her hair. "I already lost Angela and Charlotte. I can't lose you too."

"I'm still here Patrick. And I will be for a long time." Lisbon murmured back, running her fingers through his blonde curls soothingly. Jane shook his head before pulling back and kissing her, pouring all his emotion into it. Lisbon kissed him back just as passionately, before breaking free on a gasp.

"Are you okay?" Lisbon asked as she panted for breath, still in his arms. Jane nodded as he buried her face into her hair again.

"I want to show you something when we get home. Do you own a piano by any chance?" He whispered into her brunette locks. Lisbon nodded slightly.

"Uh huh. You know I do. It's in the spare room we have downstairs."

"Okay."

"Patrick?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Teresa."

…

The next morning was Thursday, and they packed up everything and made their way out of the town hall, where they were stopped by Nicole and Kara's father, who both thanked the husband and wife duo before walking down the street together, Kara's belongings in a box carried by her father.

Jane handed Lisbon the car keys as they bantered seamlessly all the way to the car and out of Redwood Point. Everyone had agreed that after all the overtime pulled on this case, as well as the one before that, the SCU team could have an early weekend with the rest of Thursday and Friday off, barring any emergency.

Suddenly, Lisbon bit her lip. "What are we gonna do about Tommy and the others?"

"We tell them." Jane responded. "Really, it's as simple as that, sweetheart. They're gonna find out. I'm just thinking that you may want to set a time for them to come round to the house so they don't find out before you actually tell them. That could make it worse."

Lisbon groaned. "Dammit, why couldn't they have just come to the wedding? It would've been so much easier."

Jane grinned. "I'm still surprised you didn't back out at the last minute."

"So am I." Lisbon quipped dryly before shaking her head. "It was a no brainer, Patrick. I love you, and you love me. We weren't into the soppy crap that makes up a lot of the dating aspect today, and we wanted something permanent."

"You sound so romantic." Jane teased, causing Lisbon to whack his arm playfully as they pulled into the driveway of their house.

"Please, I proposed to you, remember? That counts as romantic." Lisbon pointed out as they entered the house.

"Ah yes, point for you, my dear." Jane conceded as he shut the door and pushed his wife against the wall, kissing her as he led her to their bedroom. "However, I like to believe we can both be romantic when the mood strikes."

…

"Auntie Reese!"

The next morning, Jane and Lisbon awoke to the yell of a child. Opening their eyes blearily, they saw a ten year old girl with long brunette hair pulled back into a braid and chocolate brown eyes jumping up and down on the end of the bed, smiling widely at the two adults. Lisbon smiled in return, though she was still half asleep. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was glad that in the middle of the night, both she and Jane had put their nightclothes on, so at least it wasn't too embarrassing.

"Annabeth, you're making me dizzy." Lisbon warned, causing Annabeth to bounce once more before landing right in the middle of the bed.

"Auntie Reese!" Annabeth yelled again happily, diving on top of her aunt and hugging her tightly. "I missed you!"

"Missed you too, kiddo." Lisbon replied, hugging her niece tightly. "Where's your dad?"

"Downstairs. He and Uncle James wanted to surprise you by showing up a day early." Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I think this situation will surprise them more."

"Annabeth." Lisbon stated in her best warning tone. Annabeth shrugged before looking at Jane curiously.

"Who're you?"

"Patrick Jane." Jane supplied smoothly, amused at the girl's antics. Annabeth looked thoughtful.

"Can I call you Uncle Patrick?"

"Sure. You're Annabeth, right?"

"Yep." Annabeth replied, popping the 'p' at the end of the word. Suddenly, she squealed, causing both Jane and Lisbon to sit up in alarm.

"What's wrong?" They asked in unison. Annabeth pointed at Lisbon's left hand, where she'd left her wedding ring on. There wasn't much point in hiding it if they weren't in work, especially if they were just lazing about the house a lot, as they had intended to do for their unexpected long weekend.

"You guys are _married_!"

…

Lisbon and Jane made their way downstairs, Annabeth between them, skipping and laughing over her aunt and uncle as they rolled their eyes at the happy child. Tommy was the first to notice them and his mouth hung open in shock and embarrassment. "Reese, I'm so sorry, if I would've known, I never would have sent Annabeth up there!"

Lisbon waved it off awkwardly. "It's fine Tommy. We were only sleeping."

Annabeth grinned up at her aunt. "Yeah, I woke Auntie Reese and Uncle Patrick up!" She proclaimed before dissolving into a fit of giggles. Tommy glanced curiously between his daughter, his sister, and the mystery man before focusing on his daughter.

"Annabeth, sweetie, who's Uncle Patrick?"

Annabeth pointed at Jane. "He's Uncle Patrick. He married Auntie Reese, and anyway, he said I could call him that when I asked."

James glanced at the ten year old in shock. "Uh, Ann, can you repeat that?"

"He said I could call him that when I asked." Annabeth repeated instantly. James shook his head.

"No, the bit before that."

"Oh. He married Auntie Reese."

"_What_?!"

"Do I have to repeat it again for you?"

…

On Sunday night, Jane and Lisbon curled up on the couch together, enjoying a glass of wine each. After the initial explosion from Lisbon's brothers over their marriage, and around an hour of her brothers trying to convince her into a divorce, they'd finally accepted him. It helped a lot that Annabeth had taken an instant like to him.

Jane suddenly sat up, holding out his hand to Lisbon, who took it, frowning a little in confusion. He led her through the room until he reached the spare room that housed the small piano Lisbon had bought when they'd moved in together. He sat down, lifting the cover and resting his fingers on the keys.

"My daughter loved to play." He whispered. "She was teaching me right up until she…" He trailed off as Lisbon sat down beside him.

"Go on." She encouraged him gently. Nodding, he allowed his fingers to find the familiar keys, and began to play, just as his daughter had taught him to. When the notes he knew finished, he faltered a little, only to jerk in surprise as Lisbon took over for him, finishing the piece softly. She smiled gently up into his teary eyes. "They're gone, Patrick, but you don't have to forget them. I can teach you the rest, and you can play it all in your daughter's memory."

"I'd like that."

**TBC…**


End file.
